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offend

 - 3 dictionary results

of⋅fend

  [uh-fend]
Use offend in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to irritate, annoy, or anger; cause resentful displeasure in: Even the hint of prejudice offends me.
2. to affect (the sense, taste, etc.) disagreeably.
3. to violate or transgress (a criminal, religious, or moral law).
4. to hurt or cause pain to.
5. (in Biblical use) to cause to fall into sinful ways.
–verb (used without object)
6. to cause resentful displeasure; irritate, annoy, or anger: a remark so thoughtless it can only offend.
7. to err in conduct; commit a sin, crime, or fault.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME offenden < MF offendre < L offendere to strike against, displease, equiv. to of- of- + -fendere to strike

Related forms:
of⋅fend⋅a⋅ble, adjective
of⋅fend⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
of⋅fend⋅ed⋅ness, noun
of⋅fend⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. provoke, chafe, nettle, affront, insult. 7. transgress.

Antonyms:
1. please.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To offend
of·fend   (ə-fěnd')   
v.   of·fend·ed, of·fend·ing, of·fends

v.   tr.

  1. To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in.

  2. To be displeasing or disagreeable to: Onions offend my sense of smell.

    1. To transgress; violate: offend all laws of humanity.

    2. To cause to sin.

v.   intr.

  1. To result in displeasure: Bad manners may offend.

    1. To violate a moral or divine law; sin.

    2. To violate a rule or law: offended against the curfew.


[Middle English offenden, from Old French offendre, from Latin offendere; see gwhen- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to cause resentment, humiliation, or hurt. To offend is to cause displeasure, wounded feelings, or repugnance in another: "He often offended men who might have been useful friends" (John Lothrop Motley).
Insult implies gross insensitivity, insolence, or contemptuous rudeness: "I . . . refused to stay any longer in the room with him, because he had insulted me" (Anthony Trollope).
To affront is to insult openly, usually intentionally: "He continued to belabor the poor woman in a studied effort to affront his hated chieftain" (Edgar Rice Burroughs).
Outrage implies the flagrant violation of a person's integrity, pride, or sense of right and decency: "Agnes . . . was outraged by what seemed to her Rose's callousness" (Mrs. Humphry Ward).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

offend 
c.1320, "to sin against (someone)," from M.Fr. offendre, from L. offendere "strike against, stumble, commit a fault, displease," from ob "against" + fendere "to strike" (found only in compounds). Meaning "to violate (a law), to make a moral false step, to commit a crime" is from 1382." Meaning "to wound the feelings" is from late 14c. The literal sense of "to attack, assail" is attested from c.1374; this has been lost in Mod.Eng., but is preserved in offense and offensive.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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